As with Epson's other printers, the R3000 arrives with the print head installed so after removing the blue packing tape all the user has to do it click the ink cartridges into place (their position is clearly labelled and their shape prevents any mix ups), connect the printer to the computer and install the software. It takes just a few minutes.

Printers don't tend to be the most attractive objects in the world, but the R3000 is very smart. Unlike the R2880, it has a flat rather than sloping top which gives it a cleaner look and makes a convenient resting place for prints. When the paper trays are extended ready for action the R3000 has a footprint of around 616mm x 814mm x 424mm, it's not excessive for an A3+ printer.

With a minimum droplet size of 2pl I wondered if Epson's R3000 might take a long time to make prints, but when the highest quality mode is selected an A3+ prints I takes around 8min 35sec from drawing the paper in to ejecting the finished article. Setting the driver print quality option to 'Quality' rather than 'Maximum Quality' reduces the A3+ printing time to around 3min 15sec and has a barely discernable impact on the result.

As the R3000 was positioned out of sight there were several occasions when we had to go over and check the printer was working because it is almost silent in operation once the paper has been drawn in.